I am visiting Fall River for a week in May 2009 (7-13), making the long trek from Melbourne Australia.
I was wondering if anyone would be interested in meeting up with me for a discussion about the case and all other things Lizzie.

Im writing a novel about Lizzie (yes i know - seems like everyone is :) and almost finished, but id love to talk to anyone nearby that might be able to give me an insight into something i might not have considered before.

All i can offer you is a big thank you, an acknowledement in the novel, perhaps a coffee or 2 and 1 'interesting' story from the last time i visited fall river. if you're lucky there might be 2 stories...
Now that sounds like fun :)

Yes SarahJay, Long way to come. From my experience, Americans know very little about Australia. Their only exposure is probably Nicole Kidman and Steve Irwin, and few probably know Kidman's from Australia. With Irwin on the other hand, it was unmistakable. When he spoke it did not matter what he said it came out "Hey mate, I'm Australian". Though he pulled some foolish stunts, all-in-all I loved old Steve and so did most Americans. Of course I am probably displaying my own ignorance.......

A week or so before you are ready to come to the USA, you should post and remind everyone and I am sure you will get several offers for coffee and Lizzie. There are a handful of Lizzie Scholars and students in the fall river area who would be happy to talk about the case.

The best local exposure and experience to the case in fall river would be to stay at 92 Second Street B&B, the old Borden place, the murder house. Also, a visit to the Fall River Historical Society would be a must.

Jeff - thanks for the offer - ill make contact with you at some stage closer to my arrival and we can work out where to meet etc. i will be staying at Lizzie's at some stage.

mbhunty - no, no ignorance displayed! although i have to admit, i hate(d) steve irwin, and everytime i say that i get dagger eyes my direction.
Hopefully this trip will be better time spent than my last - i didn't anticipate that i would need more time so i had to rush everything. This time should be the charm.

Hi Shelley
That would be great!! ill have to double check but i think im staying on a saturday night. I'll be staying in Lizzie's room. Hopefully ill see you there, i'll definately take you up on a VIP tour and anything else that might pop up.

Saturday night you will have Eleanor and usually Liz, the medium does a seance on Saturday night. I generally stay over Friday night so can show you around on Saturday during the day before you check in. Sorry you are missing the Mutton Eaters annual bash at the end of April.

Shelley @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:51 pm wrote:Hi SarahJay! If you stay at the Borden house on Friday- I can give you the VIP house tour then and other Lizzie spots over the weekend!

Hello again
im now staying at the b and b for both friday and saturday nights. Lee Ann told me over the phone that you are truly a wealth of knowledge and give excellent tours. i look forward to meeting you!

Good question! Glad you asked
When i first introduced her to the family they said 'oh, the one that hacked her parents? we wondered when you'd discover her'. Which was obviously a weird turning point in the relationship.
Aside from that, they didn't know anything else, so over the years, the more the novel has developed and the more i've become obsessed with her, the greater their interest. I think they love the mystery element more than anything. In the beginning my mum was a little concerned that i might become too attached to the case and asked 'couldn't you write about something nicer?' I told her nice isn't nearly as much fun as a possible homicidal daughter, her uncle's impeccable timing, and poisoned breakfasts.

The hardest blow (bad pun!!) came last year when my partner asked me to take Andrew's and Abby's autopsy photos down from the study wall. He'd had enough of looking at them after 3 years.
i know. what a Buzz Kill.

It never ceases to amaze me how many of my friends say that if Lizzie did do it, how they completely sympathise with her and that basically, what did everybody expect would happen.

Now they ask me when i'll move on from Lizzie, but i honestly don't think i can - i'm looking forward to allowing myself to know absolutely everything about the case this year (i banned myself from certain case elements for 3 years so i could take some liberties with the story).
When you start to dream of Lizzie you know she's there for good!

I to began writing a novel about Lizzie and the murders. That was 20 years ago. I got as far as chapter 3 and 130 pages before I got side tracked with drink and women...........well, with drink anyway. (just joking)

No really, for some reason I lost interest and took a break.

Writing is not like riding a bicycle. You do forget in time. Writing is more like playing a musical instrument. Once you stop practicing it does not matter how good you are, you get rusty. Thus, once I picked up the novel again I was rusty, got frustrated, and put it down again, and the years ticked by.

My advice to any writer, though I am not one but play one in real life, is this: when you are writing a book you should let out no information about it, keeping the plot and most of the story line close to the vest; at least up until a couple of months or weeks of publication. All about leaving them intrigued you see. As a matter of fact the little said the best.

But, that is one man's opinion.

Now, all that being said allow me to try. Knowing many author's books are their babies and how people love talking about their kids..........

Hi SarahJay, You are going to love the B&B. You will love meeting everyone there. Shelley is the greatest and her knowledge is unbelievable. She's a real sweetheart, and I agree with her too bad you're going to miss the big Mutton Eaters annual bash.
This whole group are a great bunch of people, some of the nicest you'll ever meet. I would have loved to meet you there, I'm sure all of us would.
I hope you have a wonderful time.

Nadzieja @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 5:42 am wrote:Hi SarahJay, You are going to love the B&B. You will love meeting everyone there. Shelley is the greatest and her knowledge is unbelievable. She's a real sweetheart, and I agree with her too bad you're going to miss the big Mutton Eaters annual bash. This whole group are a great bunch of people, some of the nicest you'll ever meet. I would have loved to meet you there, I'm sure all of us would. I hope you have a wonderful time.

hi!!
i really wish i was going to the Mutton Eaters as well - it sounds like fun. i wish i knew about it a few months ago - i would have made sure i could get extra leave from work. I agree - everybody seems very nice and friendly. hopefully i'll be able to meet as many of you as i can while in Fall River.

Thanks Lorraine, but I am no expert on cemeteries. Shelley is the expert.
I just walk around them and occasionally find someone noteworthy
and report it. That's about it. My " Cemetary" jeff moniker is a little
blown out of proportion

>>>Hi!i usually don't talk about the novel, only because it is driving me insane, but when i tell people who and what it's about, it usually means i'm in for a long discussion. Without boring you to much...i decided very early on to base it on some fact and take poetic license with other things, mainly because if i stuck to the complete truth i would feel compelled to write non-fiction and i wanted to try something different. As the years have gone on, i've discovered that some things i 'made up' on instinct aren't that far from the truth. maybe im channeling someone!!In the novel Lizzie is a mystery - someone always on the cusp of reality, dreams/alternate realities. I try to show her as a complex woman so someone who is 'good' in one paragraph, devoid of emotion in another, and everything in between. She is never 'evil', never completely a victim. In the novel i decided to make Lizzie the murderer, perhaps with a little help from someone...Then my novel makes a turn...

in total there are 4 narrators - one of them being 92 Second Street. There are new characters too. It begins and ends with Andrew's death - we do get to see the final moments of Andrew's life. Its a messy ending.

Hi! i usually don't talk about the novel, only because it is driving me insane, but when i tell people who and what it's about, it usually means i'm in for a long discussion. Without boring you to much... i decided very early on to base it on some fact and take poetic license with other things, mainly because if i stuck to the complete truth i would feel compelled to write non-fiction and i wanted to try something different. As the years have gone on, i've discovered that some things i 'made up' on instinct aren't that far from the truth. maybe im channeling someone!! In the novel Lizzie is a mystery - someone always on the cusp of reality, dreams/alternate realities. I try to show her as a complex woman so someone who is 'good' in one paragraph, devoid of emotion in another, and everything in between. She is never 'evil', never completely a victim. In the novel i decided to make Lizzie the murderer, perhaps with a little help from someone... Then my novel makes a turn...

in total there are 4 narrators - one of them being 92 Second Street. There are new characters too. It begins and ends with Andrew's death - we do get to see the final moments of Andrew's life. Its a messy ending.

That sounds like a very intrigueing psychological plot SaraJay. It is always so interesting to me, who the Lizzie Borden case reaches and how deeply it touches their thoughts. I had always had the occasional Lizzie dreams, but after visiting 92 Second St. they became more realistic. I think a visit there will really "flesh out" your novel.